Recharge

It's been a little more than a week since I returned to the States and to say that I "hit the ground running" is a little bit of an understatment. It is better to characterize it as I hit the ground sprinting like I was trying to outrun Usain Bolt in the 100m dash.

I've been looking forward to today this entire week. I knew that with first round of tests, work, and volunteer activities that I was going to running around DFW a lot. But I also knew that at the end of that tunnel, I had scheduled some time to recharge my battery.

This morning, I slept in until 7:45 a.m. Now, some people might not consider that sleeping in, but when you are waking up every morning at 5:00 a.m., almost three more hours of sleep seems like a dream come true. I got up this morning, enjoyed some Kenyan brew, some biscuits with my favorite peanut butter and syrup, went for a nice run, cleaned my room, and just spent some time by myself. And because of it, I'm completely recharged and ready to go back at it.

This has been one of the biggest lessons I've tried to apply to my life since returning from Africa. I realize there will be times when I'm moving at mach speed. That is just life. But I've learned to recognize those times and make sure I have some down time scheduled to recharge my battery and refill my tank.

Have you made some time recently to recharge your battery so that you can continue to be an effective mom or dad, brother or sister, colleague, friend, etc.? If not, I'd encourage you to find that time soon.

FINAL THOUGHTS before heading home

I have not posted since Friday because we just returned from our safari in the Masai Mara late yesterday afternoon. The last few days have been AWESOME!! I feel like I’ve said that a lot on this trip, but I can honestly sit here and type that word again because every expectation I had for this trip has been met and exceeded.

On our two day safari in the plains and rolling hills of the Masai Mara, we saw the BIG 5 and much more. We saw Simba and Nala on Pride Rock, Pumba, and the rest of the gang. Okay….so we didn’t encounter Rafiki or Timon, but we did see a pride of lions napping, a momma cheetah and her two cubs, a leopard on the prowl, a pack of elephants, a dead elephant (must have been 2002 years old – sorry, Texas A&M reference), a “happy” rhino, gazelles, jackals, zebras, giraffes, and the really ruthless cape buffalo. I took more than 500 pictures of the landscape and all of the animals. I can’t wait to get back to the States, put them in a slide show, and then share them with you. Aside from our adventures in the Masai Mara Reserve, we camped at site owned and operated by the Masai tribe. On our last night, the tribesman built us a fire so that we could make s’mores. Jill suggested that I bring all of the ingredients from home so that we could share them with the native Kenyans joining us on the trip.

Have you ever built relationships over s’mores and a campfire?

We did and it was an incredible experience. Even the Masai tribesman joined us and loved the “sweets” (as they called it) that we served. With s’mores as our entry point, we launched into a conversation through the translation of Rogo, a native Kenyan on the trip with us, with the Masai tribesman – Baba (or “father”, a term of respect for someone who is older) and Morris (a 22 year old Masai warrior). For the next hour or so, we asked questions about each other’s culture. A couple highlights from our conversation:

- Masai men and women very early. Baba had a hard time understanding why I was not married at 28 years old. He said, “why do you travel to Kenya instead of looking for a wife?” It was really funny.

- Morris told us about the qualifications of manhood in the tribe. At 12 or 13, they go out into the forest and must kill a lion with a spear. Then, they return to the village with the lion’s mane and are circumcised. At that time, they can get married.

- A masai’s wealth is determined by how many head of cattle they own and how many kids and wives they have.

- The masai tribe has done a very good job at retaining their culture and traditions, but you could definitely pick up on the subtle differences in viewpoint between the older and younger man. It was interesting to see how the younger generation has more of a modern outlook on life.

I could go on for days about this conversation. If we ever sit down to talk and have some time, ask me about it. It was a huge highlight for me and the trip to the Mara.

Tonight, I board a plane back to the United States, but I expect to continue blogging about my experiences and what I learned from my time in Africa. During this whole trip, I’ve encouraged you (my blog readers) consider taking a risk on an adventure. I continue to hold fast to that message. For the past 12 days, I’ve been on an “adventure” that has taken me down rapids of a Kenyan river, in a matatu, into the slums with hurting people, to a rehabilitation clinic for kids with severe disabilities, into conversations with native Kenyans and Masai warriors, and to the plains of the Masai Mara. And with every adventure, every interaction, and in every experience, I’ve learned more about who I am and who God truly created me to be. I’ve been challenged. I’ve been stretched. And now I’m refreshed and rejuvenated and ready to return home.

Kwaheri from Kenya,

Burke (or “Booke” as they call me here in Kenya)